A STUDY ON MEDIA EXPOSURE FOR THE HIGHEST RISK GROUP OF ROAD USERS IN MALAYSIA Yusof Ghani Researcher, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), Lot 135, Jalan TKS 1, Taman Kajang Sentral, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia, 603-89249200 (ph) 603-87373994 (fax) email:
[email protected] Maslina Musa Researcher, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), Lot 135, Jalan TKS 1, Taman Kajang Sentral, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia, 603-89249200 (ph) 603-87373994 (fax) email:
[email protected] Submitted to the Australasian Road Safety Research, Policy and Education Conference 6-9 November 2011 in Perth, Australia ABSTRACT Road safety is a serious issue in Malaysia, especially among youngsters. In 2010, a total of 6,874 road users died on Malaysian roads, with about 25% involving aged 16 to 25. One of the key interventions undertaken by the government is through road safety campaigns. This research attempts to look at media exposure among the highest risk group of road users; made up of male aged 16-25, from the ethnic Malay in the rural areas. This segmentation from the general population of road users would help campaign implementers in preparing better media plan, and hence making the road safety advertising campaign cost effective. A total of 1133 respondents were surveyed nationwide. The findings reveal the group’s exposure towards the media in terms of preference for newspapers, television, radio and the internet. Thus, this study would be useful for media planners to determine the right media to deliver road safety messages effectively. Keywords: Social marketing, road safety campaign, media exposure, online media, social media.